Two more nights of plenty in the Obs gdn moth-traps - probably nothing that's a great surprise these days but maxima of 210 Small Mottled Willow, 107 amplana, 10 Small Marbled and scares incl Big Snout, Vestal, Gem, Striped Hawk, Ni, Eastern Bordered Straw etc. The new normal!

19th July: The first cloudy dawn for a long time dropped a small flurry of migrants at the Bill incl 10 each Sedge W & WW, 3 Grasshopper Ws, 2 Yellow Wags & a Redshank. Sea v quiet, with 3 Balearics and a YLGull the best at the Bill. Ferrybridge waders incl 46 Dunlin & 15 Sanderling.

Seems to have been a big arrival and/or hatch of Painted Ladies and Hummingbird Hawks around the island today - the mint-fresh Painted Ladies are perhaps most likely locally-bred but the four Hummingbird Hawks trapped overnight in the Obs moth-traps suggests some of them might be new migrants

18th July: Little bit of migrant interest at the Bill incl 26 Sand Martin, 10 WW, 5 Sedge W, 4 Yellow Wag & a Cuckoo; 150 Med Gulls, 44 Sandwich Terns & 2 Balearics on the sea. Waders at Ferrybridge incl 36 Dunlin, 9 Sanderling, 8 Redshank, 2 Knot, Whimbrel & Little Stint.

Bit snowed under with Obs AGM preparations last couple of days so tardy with moth news. An extremely busy two nights in the Obs traps with max migrant totals of 404 Small Mottled Willow, 177 Marbled Piercer splendana & 132 Rusty Acorn Piercer amplana; varied back-up list but no really gripping rares

17th July: A few migrants on a calm and at times very warm day at the Bill, with 3 Sedge W, 2 Yellow Wags, a Grasshopper W & a WW grounded + 65 Sand Martins & an LRP overhead. Just 4 Balearic Shearwaters on the sea, with 75 Med Gulls, 25 Cormorants west, 2 Sanderling & 2 YLGulls the best on the sea.

Willow Warbler's another bird that in comparison with points not too far away has been a tad slow to make it to this part of the South Coast - this is our first autumn youngster today from the CEF mist-nets. A final far from special migrant tally from the nets of 3 Sedge W, 1 Grasshopper W & 1 WW.

Their passage is already well underway at the 'better habitat' South Coast watchpoints but our first Grasshopper Warbler of the autumn just now from the mist-nets in the decidedly less optimal Crown Estate Field

The new for Portland moths keep coming: we're guessing this is a rather plain/dark form of Bog Snout Spaganothis pilleriana that @dunccrip.bsky.social has just brought us - caught last night in his garden at Weston. A heathland/east Dorset species in these parts.

Puzzled enough by this early and not-quite-right 'Rhomboid Tortrix' to keep it and check it out and looks like a good candidate for Fen Tortrix A shepherdana - is that right anyone who knows it? If it is one, certainly new for Portland and seemingly pretty rare anywhere in these parts

...also, it's an excellent year for Four Spotted, one of the local specials here, 50 from the Obs traps this morning is likely the highest ever single night total

Another good moth catch at the Obs last night: a Many-lined the best migrant, with Silver-spotted Veneer a decent back-up; lots of dispersers/recent colonists incl 14 Rusty Acorn Piercer amplana...

With it very windy overnight moth numbers/variety were well down on recent nights but singles of Dark Crimson Underwing and Rusty Acorn Piercer amplana - both first for the year - were catches of interest at the Obs.

Moth numbers and variety noticeably down on an increasingly breezy night at the Obs; however, a LepiLED session by Thomas Miller in the nearby Crown Estate Field turned up a first for Portland in the form of a Reed Veneer Chilo phragmitella

Seems like there's getting to be enough about each day now for us to try and remember how to string sentences together and revert to a narrative blog: www.portlandbirdobs.com/2026/07/10th-july.html

More rammed-full moth-traps at the Obs last night: ongoing influx of Willow Ermines accounting for 536 of the night's total; migrants incl 118 Small Mottled Willow, 10 Small Marbled & first Beautiful Twitcher micalis of the yr; dispersers incl 2nds of Scarce Spindle Ermine & LS Pinion this week

9th July: Despite heat-restricted coverage there was increased variety at the Bill today, with 34 Sand Martins, 2 LRP (1 by day & 1 via nocmig), 2 Com Sands & singles of Grey Heron, Grey Wag, Sedge W & Serin on the land; sea quiet with shearwaters virtually absent. LRP & Whimbrel at Ferrybridge.

A Many-lined the pick of a bumper catch in the Obs gdn moth-traps last night; big influx of 550 Willow Ermines; 161 Small Mottled Willows, 3 vitrealis, 2 Small Marbled & a Vestal among the migrants; lots of nice dispersers with Lesser Cream Wave & Lesser Spotted Pinion about the best for here.

Little Ringed Plover just flown high SW over the Obs

The Serin's just pitched in a tree-top at the Obs

First departing juvenile Sedge W of the autumn from the Crown Estate Field nets just now; male Serin's again put in a couple of appearances at the Obs this mrng

...we remember them being pretty numerous there back in the 1990s and they still were this evening, with a lot of them happily settled right out on the bare shingle that was no doubt still comfortingly warm after all of today's hot sunshine.

Another evening, another local micro. @jameshammond.bsky.social's sighting of a few at the weekend reminded us we hadn't seen Coast Groundling Caryocolum vicinella this century so we checked out the Sea Campion and adjacent shingle on Chesil at Ferrybridge for them at dusk...

8th July: Two surprises out of the heat today, with an early doors Serin at the Obs and the serendipitous flushing of a Quail on East Cliffs at the Bill. Double figures of Balearics remained offshore, an Arctic Skua passed by and a Yellow Wagtail and more Sand Martins were overhead.

Male Serin in the Obs garden

Another evening dusking for the super-rare tineid Little Ghost borreonella - this time on the screes above Chesil Cove where it's never been recorded before - was successful with 3 netted and sev others seen. Likely been here since time out of mind without ever before being seen by human eyes!

7th July: Beginning to get pretty hot again which curtailed fieldwork. A raft of 18 Balearic Shearwaters becalmed off the Bill at dawn likely accounted for the majority of their later reports, with 12 Common Scoters the only movers of note on the sea. Overhead, 26 more Sand Martins departed south.

Last couple of night's mothing at the Obs have been good for variety although not particularly busy on the migrant front. Small Mottled Willow back up to nearly 200 last night, also Blair's Mocha a first for the yr; less than annual waifs and strays incl things like Gold W, Mocha & Bulrush Wainscot

6th July: Samey conditions and samey birds today, with the only new migrants at the Bill being 46 Sand Martins leaving to the south & 16 Common Scoter through on the sea; a few Balearic Shearwaters were offshore with the gull flocks but for the most part they were settled and tricky to count

A fair-sized whale lingering in view - tail flukes seen several times - for 5 minutes c2 miles west of the Coastwatch lookout at the Bill at 8.45 this evening per Dave Parker. Just having a look for it now at last light but nothing immediately visible.

...known site at Sheat Quarry, Southwell. As usual, plenty of other bonus local specials incl sev Beech-green Carpets (think that Portland's still its only site in Dorset) & lots of Portland Ribbon Waves

...aka Little Ghost - great vernacular Messrs Parson & Sterling! - perhaps the first time it's been seen at this site for more than 100 yrs. Returned last evening and on an adjacent scree potted three more and saw sev others flying - seems as though it's far easier here than at the only currently...

Fun last couple of evenings on the Penn's Weare screes, initially with James Hammond and others from the @britentsoc.bsky.social group ostensibly seeking Richardson's Case-bearer at its classic location. No joy with richardsoni but a tineid potted by James turned out to be Ischnoscia borreonella...

...best rarity of the night a Scarce Spindle Ermine irrorella at LepiLED on the Penn's Weare screes whilst targeting local micros - only the fourth for Portland after the first three last year

Feel for moth dispersal/migration getting a bit of momentum last night incl a big arrival of Garden Grass-moth culmella and Marbled Piercer splendana at the Obs; Small Mottled Willows up to 70, with 4 Small Marbled & singles of Vestal & Bordered Straw amongst the scarces there...

5th July: A few arrivals on the land today incl a GSWoodpecker at the Bill, 9 Swifts & 2 Sand Martins leaving overhead & 11 Dunlin & 10 Ringed Plovers joining the lingering LRP at Ferrybridge. Still c40 Balearic Shearwaters off the Bill, an inc to c300 Manx + 28 Com Scoter & 18 Sandwich Terns thru

Big thanks to Gavin Broad and Mike Wilson for organising such a successful @britentsoc.bsky.social weekend at the Obs - so many really exciting discoveries to report in due course!

5th July: Balearics dominated the returns on the shearwater front, with at least 62 logged at the Bill, where Med Gulls were still on the up & 13 Com Scoter & singles of Great & Arctic Skua passed thru. Quiet on the land, with a Dunlin at the Bill, an LRP at Ferrybridge & a few more departing Swifts

3rd July: More in the way of numbers at the Bill today, with 2 Common Sands & a Greenshank on/over on the land & 200 Manx, 46 Balearics, 36 Med Gulls, 23 Sandwich Terns, 13 Com Scoter & 2 Arctic Skuas thru on the sea. Also an LRP at Ferrybridge & a Com Scoter in Portland Hbr.

A diary date for Obs members: it's only a fortnight until this year's AGM that'll be held at the Obs at 4:30pm on Saturday 18th July - if the mental stimulation of the meeting isn't enough for you then we will have very good refreshments on offer afterwards! drive.google.com/file/d/1437W...

A bit like last year, we're struggling to get amongst the Storm Petrels at the moment: another luring attempt at the Bill tip last night saw a few attracted - up to 3 at a time after midnight - but only a single trapped. It got better later in the summer last year so still hopeful for better rewards

2nd July: A little bit busier at the Bill today, particularly offshore where the Manx & Balearic Shearwaters totals were back up to c500 & c25 respectively; 17 Common Scoter & 2 Curlews also thru on the sea. Singles of Dunlin & Common Sand grounded at the Bill, with a trickle of Swifts overhead.

1st July: Only cursory coverage of land and sea at the Bill today, with 9 Balearic Shearwaters & an Arctic Skua through offshore and 5 Sand Martins departing overhead the only worthwhile sightings

30th June: The sea's providing most of the interest at the moment, with 237 Manx & 43 Balearic Shearwaters, 56 Med Gulls, 37 Com Scoter & 36 LBBGulls among the day's totals at the Bill. The sad sight of departing Swifts continued but there was otherwise little of note on/overhead on the land.

Probably should have run more than just the one moth-trap last night in our garden at the Grove: another 3 Small Marbleds to add to the night's tally + another Small Ranunculus - the second of the latter in the last three nights so maybe they're heading towards getting established in these parts

Not a bad migrant catch in last night's Obs moth-traps incl a notable arrival of 8 Small Marbleds; 38 Small Mottled Willows and a Vestal the best of the rest